Volume 1 Chapter 89 Like a Flower

  Just as he was considering it, Zhou Xingchi had already sent someone to retrieve the contract and was preparing to modify it before taking it for notarization.

  Naturally, the makeup for this morning cannot be done. Because of Zhou Xingchi's sudden change of mind, whether to go bald or not affects the overall change of makeup, and can only wait until the contract is notarized as soon as possible.

  "Lin Xiao." Zhao Wei walked over and gave him a slight smile "Long time no see."

  After finishing speaking, he nodded at Huang Bo, whom he didn't know, as a greeting.

  "This is Huang Bo, a graduate of the Northern Film Academy. He's also my elder brother." Lin Xiao introduced Zhao Wei and smiled, saying "Miss Zhao, it's been a while since we last met, but you're getting prettier and prettier."

  Zhao smiled and said, "After Happy Camp, your mouth skills haven't diminished. Let's go, I'll treat everyone to lunch today, consider it a welcome back."

  This was in Hong Kong, so of course no one wanted to go downtown to eat snacks, and instead found a nearby restaurant and sat down in a private room.

  The dishes passed through five flavors, and three people couldn't help but talk about the gossip in their circle. Unconsciously, they talked about today's events.

  "Do you think Mo Wenwei is just pretending to be a big shot?" Zhao Wei peeled the shrimp, not surprised by Lin Xiao's words.

  "Don't you think Zhou's attitude is a bit strange?" Lin said, choosing his words carefully. The underground relationship between Zhou Xing and Mo Wen was too explosive a topic; if it were to be exposed, he would be 100% dead meat, so he could only give a subtle reminder.

  The three of them didn't say a word, peeling shrimp in an awkward silence. This sentence can be interpreted in many ways, and no one wants to follow the most explosive assumption.

  "After a long silence, Zhao Wei suddenly said, 'You two, among the entire crew, only the three of us are from mainland China. I'll put on a bit of a senior's airs and advise everyone: in this crew, do your own job well and don't get involved in other things that aren't your concern.'"

  "You may not know that in the dressing room, Zhang Bozhi and Mo Wenyu were chatting and laughing, but neither of them said a word to me."

  Lin Xiao and Huang Bo didn't say a word, Zhao Wei's meaning was very clear. The other side simply looked down on mainland artists, even if it was Xiaoyanzi who was popular all over the two sides of the strait. In their hearts, they were Hong Kong's first-line artists, even if it was a country, it was that special piece.

  This mentality didn't improve until several years later when Hong Kong's silver screen had almost completely fallen and the mainland film industry rose to prominence.

  The meal ended in an atmosphere that was not particularly pleasant.

  After finishing, Zhao Wei received a call from Zhou Xingchi and settled the bill first. Huang Bo and Lin Xiao ordered some wine, and notarizing the contract was not a simple matter, it might take one or two days to discuss. Maybe they still need to go back to Beijing and wait for a while.

  "It's hard to be an artist, and it's even harder to be a good artist." After having a few drinks, Huang Bo sighed, "Having long sleeves that are good at dancing and being able to adapt to any situation is the most essential condition for becoming a superstar."

  "This thing is not that simple." Lin Xiao put down his wine glass, and said to Zhao Wei, he might still have a bit of caution towards her, but towards Huang Bo, he didn't have so much. "Huang Ge, you may not have shot any Hong Kong or Taiwanese dramas before, you don't know they have a way of doing things called 'raising the price'."

  "Raise the price?"

  Lin Xiao nodded, "If a Hong Kong or Taiwanese artist, or a Japanese and Korean artist wants to develop in the mainland, then their first film will necessarily find a well-known mainland artist to co-star with. This way, after this film, they will have capital. When taking on another film, they can say that when so-and-so co-starred with me, they were paid this much. Usually, the higher the price of the invited artist, the higher their own worth will be. In the initial stages, it's not easy to set a price for some 'outsider', this is the most convenient method."

  "Are you saying that Zhou Xingchi's film is not just trying to open up the mainland market for himself, but also wants to use Zhao Wei's fame to raise the price for someone else?" Huang Bo looked at Lin Xiao in disbelief, this idea was probably something he hadn't even thought of after being in the circle for so long. At first, it sounded absurd, but upon careful consideration, there were too many coincidences!

  He didn't ask who it was, because there was only one name in both of their minds!

  Don't say anything!

  Lin Xiao smiled faintly and rotated his wine cup "I'm afraid Zhao Wei also thought of this point, that's why he reminded us not to get involved."

  "The crew is like a gang, the director is like the leader of the martial arts world. You can't offend anyone but you especially can't offend the director. And here, offending her and offending the director are almost the same thing. If you don't understand this, I'm afraid this crew won't have good days ahead."

  "When did you think of this?" Huang Bo couldn't help but admire him. "You've just entered the entertainment industry, to be honest, I've been in it for a lot longer than you, but I never thought of this."

  Lin Xiao smiled and said, "This afternoon. After seeing Mo Wenwei's attitude towards Zhou Xingchi, and Zhou Xingchi's reaction, I had this idea."

  He added another sentence "I'm afraid Zhao Wei also found out at that time."

  "Some things, maybe just rumors, but connecting some clues, you can guess if it's true or not. However, everyone is in this circle, if you expose his ugly secrets, he will immediately expose yours." He sighed and said "Especially among top stars like Zhao Wei, Ge You, Zhou Xingchi, once they know something, it's just rotten in their stomachs."

  Huang Bo fell silent and took a sip of wine, suddenly feeling a wave of weakness wash over him.

  Is this what newcomers in the entertainment industry are like now? Has he aged or are today's newcomers too demonic?

  If Lin Xiao hadn't spoken so bluntly, he wouldn't have been able to accumulate connections in this crew, and if he wasn't careful, he would have gotten himself into trouble. Not to mention getting a role in Zhou Xingchi's next film.

  He sighed again, and said with a bitter smile, "Lin Xiao, you little brat, I don't know what's going on in your head, but everything is so clear to you. Being your agent must be really easy."

  "I'm just guessing too." Lin Xiao laughed and shook his head "Whether it's true or not, nobody can be sure."

  Although they said so, both of them had already acknowledged the truth in their hearts. Zhou Xingchi and Miao Wenwei had never had a movie that was released simultaneously in mainland China and Hong Kong before, which represented whether it could break into another market. Moreover, it is a huge market with a population of over one billion and infinite potential!

  Especially now when Eastern Hollywood is gradually declining, it's invaluable.

  If Mo Wenwei hadn't thought of this, it would be easy to handle. Lin Xiao took a small sip of wine, the spicy wine water poured into his stomach, and he suddenly felt that not drinking for a long time was still a bit unaccustomed to this feeling.

  "One person wants to make up for this emotional debt in this way, while the other seems completely unaware. If not for participating in Shaolin Soccer, who would have guessed that Chow Sing Chi's three-in-one movie hid so many secrets?" He looked out at the hustle and bustle outside the private room, lost in thought. The one stone that killed two birds of Shaolin Soccer gradually revealed its true face.

  After dinner, returned to Jin Ying Art, everyone had gathered together.

  This morning's events were as if they had never happened, and in the hall, all the big shots were present, Xie Xian and Wu Mengda were together. However, they didn't say much to Zhou Xingchi.

  With his own speculation, Lin Xiao began to pay attention to their attitude. It is said that having a good relationship with others is the foundation for an artist to expand their acting career, but if he can't even distinguish between good and bad relationships, let alone continue to work with that director, it's likely that neither the director nor his friends will give him another chance.

  New people all surrounded them, trying to get familiar with their faces. Lin Xiao didn't go up, now the director and big shots are like a whirlpool, indeed as Zhao Wei said, doing one's own job well is the first priority.

  "Are you going?" Just as he was observing, a voice sounded beside him. He turned his head and burst out laughing.

  Thick eyebrows and big eyes, with a very likable face, and a small mustache that was intentionally left. It's none other than Li Jianren, who almost always appears in Chow Yun-fat's films.

  His name may not be very clear to many mainland audiences, but once "Ruhua" and "Invincible Wall-Penetrating Technique" are mentioned, it's likely that everyone will know.

  He is also a type of actor who appears in every movie for less than three minutes, but has a stunning effect. He is Zhou Xingchi's confidant and a deputy director himself.

  "There are too many people." Lin Xiao laughed and stretched out a hand "Lin Xiao".

  "Of course I know." Li Jianren deliberately made a tossing hair and picking nose gesture, shaking his hand "Fashionable cover man, also very famous in Hong Kong."

  Unfortunately, his Mandarin was too poor, and Lin Xiao had to guess what he meant.

  Neither of them had any intention to go, Li Jianren and Zhou Xingchi have known each other for over 20 years, there's no need to join the crowd, even if he didn't go, Zhou would still think of him. Lin Xiao simply didn't want to get involved. The two of them simply started chatting on the spot.

  "Mr. Lin is from mainland?"

  Lin Xiao actually disliked the terms "Mainland" and "Hong Kong", but smiled and replied, "Yes, at a company in Beijing. But Mr. Li, why don't you send your resume yourself instead of running a restaurant?"

  "You..." Li Jianren never thought that the other person would ask so bluntly, his situation was well-known in the circle. From "Wu Zhuangyuan Su Qi'er" to "Ruhua" in "Jiupin Zhima Guan", he never gave up on his dream of being an actor, but was forced by his family to learn cooking and open a restaurant. This was the most frustrating moment of his life.

  After this play, he officially started running a restaurant and missed the first week of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, refreshing the global box office chart for Chinese-language films. The mainland finally landed with a big piece: Kung Fu, which rolled up 6128 million.

  To the point where in his previous life, he had regretted missing this opportunity.

  Staring at Lin Xiao for half a day, Li Jianren suddenly let out a long sigh. "No choice, people sometimes don't just live for themselves, but also have to consider their family."

  After saying that, he smiled bitterly again "Moreover, I am now placed in a special type of actor, and almost no company is willing to sign me."

  "Being able to make a lasting impression in under one minute on screen, yet making countless people remember the supporting role, is a kind of glory." Lin Xiao smiled and said "Didn't think of joining another company?"

  "How come I didn't think of that? I've asked all the companies in Hong Kong. Big companies don't lack special actors, small companies can't even let me play." Li Jianren shook his head "It's tough."

  "What about companies in Beijing?" Lin Xiao asked, he had this idea as soon as he saw Li Jianren.